Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, NY

Smorgasburg: weird name worth knowing. It is the perfect place to indulge, with lots of vendors selling various kinds of food that would make any food lover drool. The last time my nephew came for a visit, we went to the location in Williamsburg. This time, we went to Park Slope to show my cousin Sandrine Brooklyn and one of its flea markets. I admit that, while the ladies were interested with the market itself, I was more interested in the food...Not surprising I guess.

What I like about this place is the multitude of food stalls that offer different kinds of cuisine: BBQ, Mexican, Asian...

Here is what we ate:

Asiadog:

For a taste of hotdogs with an Asian twist. Jodi ordered a veggie dog with The Sidney topping that is Thai mango relish with cucumber, red onion and cilantro (she asked without peanuts):

This was pretty good and I could barely taste the fact that it was a vegetarian wiener! I loved the sweet and salty flavor and the mango and cucumber had a nice freshness.

Rice and Miso Everyday:

We ordered the basic rice ball with black sesame:

A day in Coney Island

One of the things my cousin Sandrine wanted to do was to go to Coney Island, so we hopped on a train on a Saturday morning, our food destination already decided...

After 45 minutes of train from Port Authority, here we are, in a place totally different from Manhattan. And outside of the train station, here it is: Nathan's, the hot dog institution, home of the July 4th Hot Dog Eating contest. Know that this location is the original Nathan's that opened in 1916.

Yes, you guessed well: it was out first destination. You cannot go to Coney Island and not go to Nathan's to eat a hot dog or two...It is truly American.

The place was crowded, so we had to organize ourselves: Sandrine and I were to order the food and, while we waited for it, Jodi took care of the ketchup and mustard, but most importantly, to find us a spot outside (there are no tables inside).

I should mention before describing the food, that we had breakfast in an Italian joint right before taking the train, so the girls were not that hungry. Sandrine got a hot dog with sauerkraut, as well as fries.

First, we got drinks: the homemade orangeade (I did not really like it):

Eggs Benedict at Sel De Mer in Brooklyn, NY

As we had to be in Williamsbug on a Sunday afternoon, I looked on google map for restaurants nearby the location we were going to and noticed Sel de Mer. I rapidly glanced at the menu and proposed to Jodi to go there for brunch. 

The inside of the restaurant fits the name, decorated with sailors portraits as well as objects all related to the sea. I wonder if the owner comes from the Bretagne region (Brittany) in France as the theme is definitely from there.

As we were waiting for our food to come, they gave us some bread and butter, the latter being topped with crystals of salt (in France, salted butter is mainly eaten in the Bretagne region).

Then, came our dishes. For brunch, they have a small menu, with a majority of egg dishes. So we went for that. Jodi got the eggs and avocado.

The dish was composed of crushed avocado, cilantro, two poached eggs, on toasted baguette, mixed greens and home fries. As Jodi does not like poached eggs, she asked them to cook them longer, request that they executed without any problem. This was a very good dish, refreshing, the restaurant not being shy on the amount of avocado they put in it.

On my side, I got the Eggs De Mer:

It was two perfectly poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, sambuca cured salmon on an english muffin, with mixed greens and home fries. This was delicious: they put a nice amount of salmon that was both fatty and delicate. It was simple but well executed. We also both got the home fries and these also were perfect: crunchy, cooked all the way through, probably baked rather than fried.

This was a great brunch and the eggs were delicious and...cheap. This is definitely a place I want to go back to, for brunch, but most certainly for dinner as they seem to have some mouth watering seafood dishes.

enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Sel de Mer

Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Dumbo, Brooklyn

Alright, I finally made it to Grimaldi's, on a week day to avoid the mass of tourists and New Yorkers who want to have a piece of the most famous pie in New York. 

It was probably a smart move as we showed up few minutes before opening time and there was already a line. Tourists for sure, from France, Germany or Japan, as well as a pizza tour.

This place is impressive, located right under the Brooklyn bridge, it is an old Bank building. But it is not the original location: it was originally at 19 Old Fulton, few steps from it, where now sits another pizza place, Juliana's, opened by the original owner of Grimaldi's, Patsy Grimaldi himself. Yes, because Grimaldi's was sold by Patsy in 1998 to Frank Ciolli as Patsy wanted to retire. Few years later, Frank Ciolli had to find a new place, his landlord refusing to renew the lease because, allegedly, of problems with rent and city taxes. Hence the new location. Few years later, regretting selling, Patsy decided to do a come back, opening Juliana's where Grimaldi's was first open. Needless to say that it started a feud between the two owners, that I am not sure is settled today.

We got seated pretty fast, in one of the tables on the left after entering the restaurant.

There, you cannot order a slice and have to pay cash. So, we looked at the menu and considered the many toppings they propose. We went for a small pizza (6 slices) with mushrooms, ricotta and meatballs.

After a short wait, our pizza arrived. Ok, let say that it is 6 large slices...

Talde in Park Slope, Brooklyn

I wanted to try Talde, the eponymous restaurant of Chef Dale Talde in Park Slope, for a while, but I admit that I do not like to wait for hours to get a table. So, as I was off on a Monday, we decided to show up for an early dinner. 

I was intrigued by the Asian-American menu considering the impressive resume of Chef Talde who worked in renown restaurants (Jean George's Vong in Chicago, Buddakan or Morimoto, to name a few), getting his inspiration from his Filipino's roots. You may have seen him on Top Chef, showing an incredible talent as well as a bad temper...

So, here we are, at Talde in Brooklyn. The 75 seats restaurant has a beautiful decor: black wood with Asian carving, definitely neat and slick. 

In the back is the kitchen where you can admire the crew prepare uncommon dishes. 

The concept is simple: small or large plates preferably for sharing. So we shared!

Our first appetizer was the yuzu guacamole. 

Served on crispy rice, they propose it with ham or vegetarian. We chose the latter. Not only the presentation was sublime, but it also was scrumptious. I really liked the transition of texture, from the soft guacamole to the crispy rice.

Waffle and Wolf in Brooklyn

Waffle & Wolf, located in Williamsburg, has an interesting statement: it is a “refined fast food” restaurant serving gourmet waffle sandwiches. Yes, you read properly: waffle sandwiches! It all started in 2011, when Chef Daniel Richardson and its co-owner Arman Sen decided to serve a refined version of American recipes, wrapped in waffles. 

This is a tiny place for sure and we were surprised that it was not bigger, probably mistaken by the establishment next door that has the same exterior. So, you order at the counter and they will call you once your sandwich is ready. The menu proposes both savory and sweet recipes and you can chose which type of waffle you want, between buckwheat, cornbread or regular. 

I decided to order #29:

Fortunato Brothers, Italian Bakery in Williamburg, Brooklyn, NY

Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

 

Continuing my discovery of Brooklyn, I gladly accepted the invite I received from Fortunato Brothers Bakery in Williamsbug, an all Italian bakery that opened in 1976. Family business for sure, the establishment's name reflecting the association of three brothers from Naples, Michele, Mario and Sal. Today, they transmitted their passion to their sons, Biagio and Biagio, as well as Frank, another member of the family, and another Biagio! I admit that I met with Biagio, but I have no clue which one!!!

So, as we approached the bakery, we could not miss the delicious smell coming from it, as well as the small Fiat cars in front if it. 

The shop is fairly big, with a seating area on the side that is perfect to enjoy an Italian espresso, a homemade gelato (they have twenty different flavors, my favorite being nocciola or hazelnut), or a cake. 

But of course, the best part was the display, where we could salivate in front of the large choice of cakes and cookies:

As we were close to Easter, they had plenty of items prepared especially for the occasion, some sweet:

and some savory, such as the meat pie that we tasted. 

It was a delicious combination of ham and ricotta wrapped in a crumbly dough. 

So we sat in the seating area, waiting for our tasting, when we noticed a cat sitting (or shall I say sleeping) next to our table.

His name is Rocco: he is the bakery's owners cat and you might see him either sleeping, walking around, or coming to you to get pet or to play. 

Biagio served us a combination of pastries that were mouth watering. Small size though, when possible. I have to say that I love when bakeries offer pastries in a smaller size, as it allows us to try several.

The first I tried was the baba au rum.

Doughnuts from Dough in Brooklyn

One of my colleagues, Jason, brought some doughnuts one day for breakfast. They were from Dough, a doughnuttery located in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. With all the doughnut places in New York, I was curious to see what would set Dough apart. On top of that, I am a huge fan of the Doughnut Plant, so my expectation was very high. 

At first, you cannot miss the size of these doughnut that are fairly big, the size of a bagel. They are yeast doughnuts, as opposed to cake doughnuts. 

Although large, they were soft, chewy, airy and fluffy, not too heavy. And yes, I tried all of them...

Here is what we had:

Hibiscus doughnut:

Coconut doughnuts:

Dinner at Fushimi in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York

In the past weeks, I have been discovering Brooklyn's dining scene and I have to admit that there are quite few gems there! The last one I discovered is Fushimi, a Japanese restaurant located in Bay Ridge, where we were invited for dinner. Fushimi has two meanings: first it is the name of a city in Japan; second, it means "Clear water" in Japanese.

They have three locations: Bay Ridge and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, as well as Staten Island where they serve the same menu, an Asian fusion of Japanese, Korean, Thai, French and American cuisine, crafted by Executive Chef Chul Kee Ko.

Chef Chul Kee Ko has an impressive resume: born in Seoul Korea, his mom owned a popular Japanese restaurant, where Chef Ko helped in the kitchen at age 14. Then he went to the French Culinary Institute, before working for Jean Georges and Buddha Bar in Washington DC. The training in the latter allowed him to spend two months at the Buddha Bar in Paris. 

The restaurant is surprising: from outside, it looks like a club with the blue lights. Then, when you enter, the first room is dominated by the red and blue fluorescent bar, giving a lounge-y feel to the place. But it is not just a bar area, there are tables and booths were people can dine. I counted three more dining room, making this place quite big.

In the main dining room, you can sit at the counter, observing the Chef prepare the food, next to a small seafood display.

In the back is a cellar containing an impressive collection of sake.

I started the evening with a yuzu citron martini:

It was made of yuzu sake, citron (lemon) vodka, PunZone organic liqueur (vodka). It was good with a nice citrus-y taste, but clearly not something I would sip like milk...

The first two dishes were from their New Year's eve menu. It started with Four Senses of Lobster:

They took 1 1/2 lb lobster and prepared it 4 ways.

Tiradito that is similar to a ceviche, where slices of the lobster tail were topped with caviar and a spicy vinaigrette.

Sushi made with the claw meat, some homemade lobster oil, some sea salt, and of course some rice. This was to be eaten with soy sauce and wasabi.

Lobster salad: First was a brush of pesto on which the salad was placed. it was composed of asparagus,  snap peas, cherry tomatoes, crunchy cauliflower (tri-color - I can recall purple, green) and a carrot confit (the carrot is cooked 3 hours at low temperature in olive oil).

The sauce was an orange vinaigrette. The lobster was topped with a Meyer lemon and pineapple jam that gave a nice acidity to the meat.

Special Roll made with different types of lobster meat, rice, avocado and mango, topped with a sweet aioli.

The presentation of the dish was beautiful and the creativity of the Chef being undeniable. It was like a progression of flavors, some the simplest to the more complex flavors. My favorite was the sushi, then the tiradito / ceviche and then the salad, each of them being delicate and elegant. However, I did not like the roll, whether it was the texture or the taste, the lobster being a bit lost.

The second dish was the Black Garlic Magic of Seafood:

Another beautiful dish, very colorful. It was like a tartare of lobster, lump crab meat and seared scallops, topped with black garlic and put together with a creamy aioli that let the seafood shine. It was accompanied with a brunoise of vegetables that added a nice crunch to the dish (carrots, French beans, cauliflower). This was another successful dish. Definitely, the black garlic was intriguing. It is aged for 6 months and has a soft texture and a more subtle taste that definitely did not overpower the dish.

Then came the rack of lamb:

Another fantastic presentation and a great dish! The lamb was seared in 7 spices and brushed with Dijon mustard that created a nice coating. Then it was slow cooked to obtain a meat cooked medium and heavenly juicy. It came with haricot verts and crispy mashed potatoessimply made with yukon potatoes, butter, salt and pepper, a perfect side for the lamb.

After the succulent lamb dish, came the filet mignon:

Chef Ko poured a sauce similar to the one you can find in shabu shabu, made with a port wine reduction, shallots, beef stock and butter. 

It came with a roasted shishito pepper, a pan seared oyster mushroom (did not really like it), panko crusted mash potatoes (delicious and crunchy), a roasted cherry tomato and one of the best sweet potato purées I ever had (there is crème fraîche in it!). But the best part was the filet mignon. I typically never order meat when not in a steakhouse; but, to my surprise, this was very good! The meat was tender, deliciously seared and topped with some kosher salt. Although juicy, it paired perfectly with the sauce that has a nice sweetness. The meat was cooked medium to medium rare, and even Jodi who likes her steak well done loved it!

At that point, I am not sure I could eat more. But then, they brought us some desserts...The first one was a warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream (perfect to cut the sweetness and bitterness of the chocolate).

We cut it in the middle and observed the chocolate oozing from the center. It was fantastic!

Then, we had a trio of crème brûlée:

The flavors were: vanilla.

Green tea

Coffee.

I thought that it was a great idea to offer a crème brûlée tasting and it was the perfect quantity as it was not too big and not too thick. The custards were perfectly set, not too sweet and the caramelized top was very good. My favorite was the vanilla, then coffee, then green tea (that was not bitter by the way).

The last dessert was a panna cotta made with Greek yogurt and topped with a yuzu citrus gelée. 

This was my least favorite dessert: I did not like the texture of the panna cotta and the yuzu citrus gelée taste was too pronounced.

This was definitely an unexpected dinner at Fushimi: the food was fabulous, taste wise and presentation, showcasing the creativity of Chef Ko. This is not your typical Japanese restaurant. However, if you want a more straight forward Japanese dish, they have that also on their menu! Whether you live or not in Bay Ridge, Fushimi is worth the trip...

Enjoy (I did)!

 

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment!  

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!